3 Versos ( Short, 2016)

Is it too early to offer up my pick for “Best Short of 2016” yet? Especially since this was coming from a redshirt rookie director. His name is Antonio Yee, and his presentation is titled 3 Versos, and frankly this one made the little hairs stand up on my neck – quite the accomplishment, indeed.

Subtitled in English, this Spanish-speaking quickie tells the story of a pair of sisters who make their way to visit psychic Margery after one of them was attacked by a malevolent spirit. Lady Margery is the stuff nightmares are made out of, with a cracked skull mask covering her features and a gravelly voice that would make even Linda Blair’s possessed Regan pee herself… well, more than she already did. As the two young girls sit with the mysterious Margery, we learn just what might be the cause of the terror and what might be done to subside it… MAYBE.

Yee uses the utmost of the atmospheric boundaries he supplies, with a darkened seance room and flickering candles – the set pieces are gorgeous, and the feelings of dread and machination surround you from the onset. This one’s a winner, hands down.

Attention, all other short filmmakers; you’ve just been put on notice. Bring your A game from here on out.